Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is an author who makes her stories really relatable to young adult women. Her realistic fiction takes you into her own made up world with many different stories to tell.

 In her novel, Lock and Key, Dessen tells the story of Ruby. She had a tough upbringing with her unstable mother and is left without a father. Ruby tells the reader the patterns of her mother’s absences. After one of her mom’s longest trips, she does not return. Ruby continues to live in the house her mom rented for a few more weeks until the landlord realizes she is living alone. Since Ruby is a minor, the landlord calls child services. Cora, Ruby’s older sister, is contacted and Ruby is sent to live with her. 

Cora lives a vastly different life than Ruby does. Cora lives in a giant house and is married to the CEO of Ume.com, the hit social network everyone uses. Ruby has to switch from a huge public school to a small, private college preparatory school. She finds it hard to connect with many of the people at the school and only makes a few friends. It takes Ruby a long time to adjust to this new lavish lifestyle because she was accustomed to making all the money for her and her mom. There are clear signs of tension between the two sisters and eventually the truth comes out regarding why that tension is there. 

This book is about Ruby discovering who she is and it is an exciting journey to take. There are ups and downs and I had trouble putting this book down. It is a great read and I was never bored reading it!

Veronica K.

Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Supplee

Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Supplee is a book of dreams and hopes for teen girls to read. It is a fiction book without a lot of attention to detail. You will enjoy reading this book because you can easily relate to it. 

It’s a book about Retta Lee Jones who wants to be a country music singer. She has just graduated high school and she works at the local diner in Starling, Tennessee where she works hard to help support her family. Starling is a small town and not much happens around town. Her father has a beaten down back that goes out all the time and her mother has never worked a day in her life. Retta is a strong 18 year old who packs up her bags and heads to Nashville with hopes and dreams to make it big. She has always been a singer but finding jobs in Nashville is tougher than it seems. She travels from place to place and meets a man who helps her while she is in Nashville. 

While on this journey, Retta learns a lot about her life from her parents' relationship to the person she needs to be. With stars in her eyes and her strong will, Retta takes what she has learned and discovers the man she meets just might be the one to change her life. 

If you’re looking for a book you don’t want to put down, read Somebody Everybody Listens To.

Ericka